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| '''John Holland''' (May 16, 1908—May 21, 1993) was an American actor and singer who appeared in film, television, and theater productions over a career spanning more than five decades. He portrayed ''[[Rising Star (TOS)|Rising Star]]''<nowiki/>'s unnamed [[Maitre d']] over numerous episodes of the [[Original Series]].
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| == Early Life ==
| | '''John Holland''' (May 16, 1908—May 21, 1993) was an American actor of film and television. |
| Born Harold Boggess in [[w:Fremont, Nebraska|Fremont, Nebraska]], Holland was the son of Newton Boggess, an organist, and had a grandmother, Mrs. Ada Holland, who resided in Lincoln, Nebraska.<ref name="telegraph_1939">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16345186/ |title=Harold Boggess Arrives For Holiday Visit |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Alton, Illinois |date=December 28, 1939 |page=6 |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref> He adopted his grandfather's name, John Holland, as his stage name.<ref name="variety_obit">{{cite magazine |url=https://variety.com/1993/scene/people-news/john-holland-107268/ |title=John Holland |magazine=[[w:Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=May 27, 1993 |access-date=November 11, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250511/https://variety.com/1993/scene/people-news/john-holland-107268/ |archive-date=May 11, 2025}}</ref><ref name="telegraph_1939"/> His parents resided in [[w:Alton, Illinois|Alton, Illinois]].<ref name="telegraph_1939"/>
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| He studied at [[w:Wichita State University|Wichita State University]] before attending the [[w:Juilliard School|Juilliard Graduate School]] as a voice major.<ref name="variety_obit"/> Following his Juilliard studies, Holland studied Shakespeare in England, then returned to the United States where he performed in opera and light opera productions.<ref name="variety_obit"/>
| | With a film career that began in the mid 1930s, the [[w:Nebraska|Nebraska]]n-born Holland transitioned into television, appearing in various television shows, including ''[[w:The Mary Tyler Moore Show|The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', ''[[w:Perry Mason|Perry Mason]]'', ''[[w:F Troop|F Troop]]'', ''[[w:The Twilight Zone|The Twilight Zone]]'' (with [[Jonathan Harris]]), ''[[w:The Streets of San Francisco|The Streets of San Francisco]]'' (with [[Nehemiah Persoff]]), and ''[[w:The Honeymooners|The Honeymooners]]''. |
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| Holland received positive reviews for his performance in a concert titled "The California Night of Music" in Los Angeles in September 1937.<ref name="warner_bio">{{cite web |url=https://warnerbros.fandom.com/wiki/John_Holland |title=John Holland |website=Warner Bros. Entertainment Wiki |publisher=Fandom |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref> He often gave free concerts during visits to his parents in Alton, accompanied by his father.<ref name="warner_bio"/><ref name="telegraph_1939"/> In January 1941, Holland performed for the White Hall Lions Club meeting and presented a full evening concert at a Presbyterian church.<ref name="telegraph_1941">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16998721/ |title=Boggess Sings For White Hall Lions Meeting, Will Present Full Evening Concert at Presbyterian Church |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Alton, Illinois |date=January 3, 1941 |page=6 |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref>
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| ==Career==
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| ===Film===
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| Holland arrived in Hollywood in the late 1930s, signing with [[w:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]].<ref name="variety_obit"/> In December 1939, Holland returned to Alton for the Christmas holidays, arriving from Hollywood after pausing to visit relatives in Lincoln and his grandmother in Elwood, Nebraska.<ref name="telegraph_1939"/> At that time, he had recently completed work on a role in the MGM musical ''[[w:Balalaika (film)|Balalaika]]'', starring [[w:Nelson Eddy|Nelson Eddy]] and [[w:Ilona Massey|Ilona Massey]].<ref name="telegraph_1939"/><ref name="variety_obit"/> Upon his return to California, he planned to perform with a light opera company in Hollywood.<ref name="telegraph_1939"/> His film career began with roles in productions such as ''[[w:Ladies' Man (1931 film)|Ladies' Man]]'' (1931), ''Defenders of the Law'' (1931), and ''[[w:Join the Marines|Join the Marines]]'' (1937).<ref name="tcm_profile">{{cite web |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/87987%7C86000/John-Holland |title=John Holland |website=[[w:Turner Classic Movies|Turner Classic Movies]] |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref>
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| Additional film credits included ''[[w:Circus Girl|Circus Girl]]'' (1937), ''Dangerous Lady'' (1941), ''Pals of the Pecos'' (1941), ''[[w:Take a Letter, Darling|Take a Letter, Darling]]'' (1942), ''[[w:The Voice of the Turtle (film)|The Voice of the Turtle]]'' (1948), ''Blonde Ice'' (1948), and ''State Department - File 649'' (1948).<ref name="tcm_profile"/> His most notable later film roles were in ''[[w:My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'' (1964), in which he portrayed the Butler,<ref name="warner_bio"/> ''[[w:How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (film)|How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]'' (1967), and ''[[w:Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'' (1974).<ref name="imdb_profile">{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0390710/ |title=John Holland |website=[[w:IMDb|IMDb]] |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref>
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| Holland served in the Armed Forces during [[w:World War II|World War II]].<ref name="variety_obit"/>
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| ===Television===
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| Upon returning to Hollywood after the war, Holland became active in early television, performing in the series ''Armchair Detective'', which in 1948 was the first show [[w:kinescope|kinescoped]] to New York from Hollywood.<ref name="variety_obit"/>
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| Television work occupied Holland for several decades. He appeared in multiple episodes of numerous series, including six ''[[w:Maverick (TV series)|Maverick]]'' episodes, several ''[[w:Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'' episodes, two episodes of ''[[w:Wagon Train|Wagon Train]]'', and six segments of ''[[w:Adam's Rib (TV series)|Adam's Rib]]''.<ref name="variety_obit"/> Other television appearances included ''[[w:The Honeymooners|The Honeymooners]]'', ''[[w:Name of the Game (TV series)|Name of the Game]]'', ''[[w:The Bob Newhart Show|The Bob Newhart Show]]'', ''[[w:The Mary Tyler Moore Show|The Mary Tyler Moore Show]]'', ''[[w:Lou Grant (TV series)|Lou Grant]]'', ''[[w:F Troop|F Troop]]'', ''[[w:The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' (with [[Jonathan Harris]]), ''[[w:The Streets of San Francisco|The Streets of San Francisco]]'' (with [[Nehemiah Persoff]]), and the [[TOS|Original Series]].<ref name="variety_obit"/><ref name="findagrave">{{cite web |url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105838390/john-holland |title=John Holland (1908-1993) |website=[[w:Find a Grave|Find a Grave]] |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref>
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| His final television appearance was as Captain St. John in the miniseries ''[[w:Crossings (miniseries)|Crossings]]'' (1986).<ref name="wikipedia_holland">{{cite web |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Holland_(actor,_born_1908) |title=John Holland (actor, born 1908) |website=[[w:Wikipedia|Wikipedia]] |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref>
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| ===Theater===
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| As a stage performer, Holland served as understudy for the roles of Captain Hook and Mr. Darling in the original Broadway production of ''[[w:Peter Pan (1954 musical)|Peter Pan]]'' starring [[w:Mary Martin|Mary Martin]] and [[w:Cyril Ritchard|Cyril Ritchard]], which opened at the [[w:Winter Garden Theatre|Winter Garden Theatre]] on October 20, 1954 and ran for 152 performances.<ref name="ibdb_peterpan">{{cite web |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/peter-pan-2470 |title=Peter Pan – Broadway Musical – Original |website=[[w:Internet Broadway Database|Internet Broadway Database]] |access-date=November 11, 2025}}</ref> He later toured in ''[[w:The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial|The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial]]''.<ref name="variety_obit"/>
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| ==Personal life==
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| Holland was married to Nancy Linda Ramage and Mary John Saxon.<ref name="imdb_profile"/> He died on May 21, 1993, at the [[w:Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital|Motion Picture Hospital]] in [[w:Woodland Hills, Los Angeles|Woodland Hills]], California, five days after his 85th birthday, from respiratory failure and pneumonia.<ref name="variety_obit"/> He had no survivors at the time of his death.<ref name="variety_obit"/> A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. on June 9, 1993, at Hollywood Presbyterian Church in Hollywood.<ref name="variety_obit"/>
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| ==External links==
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| * {{imdb name|0390730}}
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| ==References==
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| {{reflist}}
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